First off, getting here was fairly cheap. I confess to being something of an airline miles junkie. A one way ticket from the USA to Europe in the low season is only 20K miles on American Airlines. I get a 10% mileage rebate because I have a Citibank AA card, so my real cost is 18K miles, plus airport and TSA fees of $5.80. I made my plane reservation on line about 3 months in advance.
Most cities have public transit at the airport and CDG has some of the best. The RER train takes me straight from the airport to several stops in Paris. One of the stops is about 200 meters from my apartment. I bought a ticket at the airport vending machine for about 10 Euros (about $10.70 US). Usually faster than a cab.
The rent for the apartment is $1,900.00 per month, plus another $50.00 per month for electricity (estimated, meter will be read when I leave). That may sound high, but it is very low on a daily basis ($65/day) when compared to a hotel. There are agencies that will help you find a place but I found this place through a prior renter. I have used HomeAway before with good results. I seem to find better prices when I rent for at least a month, and a week is better than a day.
Note: If you use AirBnB you should ask for a break on the daily rate if you are renting for a week or more. Most owners would rather have one renter for seven days than five renters spread out over a week.
Food seems high in Paris, but I am not shopping at Costco here. The closest crepe cafe sells ham and cheese crepe for 3.80 Euros (1 Euro = $1.07 today). A big loaf of bread is Euro. A chocolate croissant runs from 1.30 Euros at a fancy bakery to 0.35 at the cheapo grocery store (Linl). I don't think I could tell the difference between them. Like Lenin said, "Quantity has a quality all its own."
I bought a 6 day museum that I have yet to start using. It' s good for 6 straight days and costs 68 Euros. It's a great wayIt' spend time in smaller museums that only require a day or less, or if you want just hang out for six days at the Louvre (daily admission there is 17 Euros. Below are photos of the Museum Pass which show the attractions covered,which HP way beyond museums. You can find more info on the web. Many cities have similar types of passes.
